Interregional Showdown
by Captainof10
Summary: Ash and May meet again at a tournament to decide the World Champion. AshxMay Second genre should be 'Action' rather than 'Adventure'.
1. Chapter 1 A New Challenge

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Those people who think I do are idiots.

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Ages:

May: 17

Gary: 19

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 1

May sighed as she walked down the path through the forest of Route 1. It had been five years since she had last seen Ash. She figured he would have had plenty of time to challenge all the leagues of each region and maybe challenge some of them again. She knew he would because she had time to challenge the contests of all the regions. Five years ago, she would have tried going through the contests again, but she'd missed him increasingly since she left, and had instead challenged the leagues of Hoenn and Johto while hoping to run into him.

She sighed again at how pitiful she sounded to herself. After failing to find him in two regions, she had tried his house, thinking that maybe he was taking it easy for a while. She'd been half-right; he had gone back home…four months ago. And then it was only for a week. Oh well, at least she got to say hi to their Pokémon at Prof. Oak's lab.

After she got through the forest, she saw Viridian City in the distance. She smiled, thinking of how her stamina had changed dramatically since she met Ash. She only felt mildly tired, but still felt relieved when she got to the Pokémon Center. She opened the doors and was shocked to see many trainers setting up sleeping bags on the floor. She walked up to the counter to where Nurse Joy was.

"Excuse me," she said politely, "what are all these trainers doing here?"

Nurse Joy smiled at her. "You haven't heard?" May shook her head.

"These are all very skilled trainers who have gathered here while traveling to the Interregional Championship." This got May's attention completely. Nurse Joy continued.

"The Interregional Championship is a competition where trainers gather from every region to battle for the title of World Champion. It's only held once every 20 years, and this time, it's being held at the Kanto Pokémon League, so all the trainers pass through here on their travels. Only trainers who have competed in two different leagues are allowed to enter. Hm? You look excited. Do you want to register?"

"YES!" May screamed, knocking over Nurse Joy and attracting glances from all over the room. She blushed as she came to her senses and helped Nurse Joy off the floor. "I-I mean, yes please…" she said timidly. Nurse Joy nodded and walked off, bewildered.

_'Great, I'm acting like an idiot again,'_ thought May.

A boy with spiky brown hair pointing toward his front walked up to her.

"Excuse me, is your name May Maple?" he asked. Stunned that this boy knew her name, she nodded curiously. "The name's Gary Oak. I'm a friend of Ash's." Her eyes went wide.

"You mean _you're _Prof. Oak's grandson who used to be a snobby jerk?" she asked.

Gary cringed, then sighed. "Why can't he forget about that or at _least_ not tell all his friends?" He turned his attention back to her. "Forget that. You're here looking for Ash, right?"

May inhaled sharply. _'Does he know?'_ "O-Of course not, I didn't even know about this event until I got here!"

Gary's eyebrows rose. "But that _is_ why you're in Kanto right?"

May flinched. "Uhh…"

"And it's also why you were _sooo_ eager to enter the Championship, right?"

She groaned, then smirked knowingly. "Are you sure you're not still a snobby jerk?"

To her surprise, he grinned and laughed. "Ash was right. You really can bite back when you want."

At this, May blushed and stared at the floor. Gary laughed again, then said, "Don't worry. You'll find him. He is competing, after all."

He turned and began to walk away. May grew even more flustered and, still blushing, yelled at him, "Why would I be worried?!"

"You know perfectly well why," he yelled back. May huffed and went to look for an empty spot on the floor to set up her sleeping bag.

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Ash will be in the next chapter, but the battles won't begin until Chapter 3.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. I will update when I have 8 reviews.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	2. Chapter 2 Reunited

Disclaimer: It's impossible for me to own Pokémon. I could never handle the responsibility.

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Ages:

Ash: 19

May: 17

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"Regular dialogue"

_'Thoughts'_

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 2

Ash looked up at the Pokémon League Stadium. He looked back at the Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Brings back memories, huh, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Ash smiled and walked up to the gate through the busy bustle of trainers. He handed the guard his Pokédex as his ID and said, "Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."

The sudden silence that met his ears was almost painful. He looked around and his eyes were met everywhere by trainers staring back at him, some confident, some nervous. He grinned. "Well, Pikachu, looks like we might've become a bit famous."

"Chuu."

He started walking and the crowd began to move again. After a few seconds, he heard someone call "Ash!" and he stiffened.

_'She wouldn't be here, right?'_ He turned, and sure enough, there was May, waving at him.

"May?! What are you doing here?"

"Pika!" Ash jumped, having forgotten Pikachu was on his shoulder.

"Hello to you too, Pikachu." May then pouted and looked at Ash. "That's not exactly a proper greeting, but I'm competing."

Ash grinned. "Sorry. I was just surprised to see-" May's words finally caught up to him. "Huh?! But to compete you have to-"

"-have competed in two region leagues, yeah yeah." She took out two cases and showed him the eight badges of Hoenn and Johto. Ash stared.

"Next you'll tell me you won one." May beamed.

"Nope, I won both." He gaped at her. She laughed. "I'm kidding. I didn't win either. Now shut your mouth when you're with a lady."

Ash sheepishly closed his mouth and took in the full sight of her for the first time. She had clothes just like the ones when he first met her. He guessed she had them remade since they would not have fit her after three years, especially in a certain area that made him blush and quickly look away. May noticed the blush, but luckily missed where he'd been looking.

"Are you okay, Ash?" she asked. He nodded.

"You look…" _'stunning, radiant, gorgeous,'_ "…good," he muttered. She smiled and poked him in the chest.

"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself." He smirked.

"So, what made you decide to enter the leagues?"

"Well, I finished the Contests, so I thought I give battling a shot," she lied, and added out of guilt, "also, I wouldn't have complained if I ran into you." His smirk turned into a grin.

"What a coincidence. That's exactly why I decided to enter in the Grand Festivals." It was May's turn to be surprised. Ash laughed at her expression. "Looks like we have some catching up to do. Why don't we talk over dinner? I'm starving." May giggled as Ash grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the closest food stand, thinking about how he hadn't changed.

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Battles will begin next chapter, so review.

P.S. Gary was in the first chapter just because I wanted him to be. Unless someone asks, he will most likely not appear again. Someone else will though, because I don't want it to only be Ash and May in the story.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. I will update when I have 16 reviews.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	3. Chapter 3 Ash's Progress

I haven't been getting any reviews lately, and I'm getting impatient! So I don't want to hear it if you don't like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I'm too lazy, so I gave the idea to someone else. Just kidding, please don't sue.

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Ages:

Ash: 19

May: 17

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 3

Ash was standing at the entrance to the field with May next to him. It had been surprising to be in the opening battle of the competition. "You had better not lose, Ash. I plan on seeing you in the finals." The tournament roster had already been put up, so they would know whom they were fighting next. May had startlingly been placed in the last battle of round 1, so if they both won their matches, they would meet in the finals. But first, they'd have to get through the Elite Four members of every region.

"I know, May. I won't. Oh, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"Could you look after Pikachu?"

"Huh?" she said as Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder to her own. "You aren't using him?"

"Not 'til the finals. I have a strategy to keep my opponents guessing," he said as he waved and walked out onto the field. May left to find her seat.

As Ash reached the field, he saw his opponent let out his starting Pokémon, a Rhydon. Ash chuckled. "Impatient are we? Understandable, so I won't take advantage of you choosing first."

He tossed a ball, which revealed an Arcanine. The crowd began to murmur, and he smiled knowing he surprised everyone.

_'Save some for later everyone. There's plenty more where that came from.'_

The referee came to the side of the arena. "Each trainer will use six Pokémon of their choosing and is allowed to substitute at will. The match will end when either of the trainers' Pokémon are all unable to battle or when the trainer forfeits. There is no time limit. Trainers…Begin!"

"Arcanine, Extremespeed!" Arcanine quickly charged Rhydon, knocking him down while his owner was still stunned. Rhydon was still rising when Ash gave his next command. "Arcanine, Solarbeam!" Arcanine took in sunlight and fired at Rhydon. It was a direct hit, and when the smoke cleared, Rhydon was down.

"Uh…Rhydon is unable to battle!" the referee announced, surprised at how quickly the battle ended.

Ash's opponent returned Rhydon and quickly sent out an Alakazam. Just as Alakazam was about cast Psychic, Ash yelled out, "Arcanine, tactic #3!"

Arcanine immediately multiplied with Double Team until dozens of clones surrounded Alakazam. Alakazam sent out a Psywave that hit all the Arcanine clones, and they disappeared. Arcanine was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Arcanine burst out of the ground in front of Alakazam. Alakazam jumped back, but Arcanine released a Fire Blast at point blank. "Alakazam is unable to battle…" said the referee, just as stunned as the audience.

Ash's opponent switched to Poliwrath. The entire audience was on the edge of their seats and Ash was smirking. Poliwrath fired a Hydro Pump at Arcanine, who instinctively dodged. However, the Poliwrath turned while continuing fire, causing the Hydro Pump to follow Arcanine. Eventually, the entire field was wet. Poliwrath then ceased to fire and hit the wet ground with a Thunderpunch. The electricity spread through the field.

"Jump and use Solarbeam!" yelled Ash. Arcanine did just that, avoiding the electricity and KO'ing Poliwrath. "Poliwrath is unable to battle…" the referee now whispered, not wanting to disturb the tension in the air.

Ash's opponent sent out Gyarados next and was about to attack when Ash yelled, "Extremespeed, Thunder fang!" In the blink of an eye, Arcanine rammed Gyarados, then sent an electrifying bite into Gyarados's neck, easily knocking it out. The referee didn't even bother to make the call.

The next enemy for Arcanine turned out to be an Electrode. The Electrode began to roll toward Arcanine. Ash called out, "Tactic 112!" The audience gasped. Arcanine ran away from the Electrode, letting it gain speed. He then led it to the wall and dodged at the last second. Electrode hit the wall but continued rotating and began to go up the wall until it was in midair. Arcanine fired a Flamethrower from below, and when Electrode landed, it was clearly out. Ash's opponent threw a white towel into the air, signaling his forfeit.

The referee stood from his seat on the ground and raised his flag in Ash's direction. "The red trainer forfeits the battle. The winner is the green trainer, Ash Ketchum!" he announced.

The crowd roared. After shaking hands with his opponent, Ash walked toward the exit, waving to his audience. He opened the door and exited the field only to find a very angry looking May glaring at him in the waiting room. He might have been scared out of his wits if Pikachu wasn't riding on her head.

"What?" he asked.

"Show-off," She replied. Ash blinked.

"Huh?"

"'I have a strategy to keep my opponents guessing.' From the sound of it, you had more than 112 strategies. I find that quite difficult to believe." Ash frowned.

"They're just combos I took note of during the contests. I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that in addition to those, you also used a Pokémon you aren't known to use to beat 5 Pokémon by Himself in record time."

"I just figure that's doing very well." May gave a "Hmph," and headed toward the door. Ash's eyes followed her.

"May?" May stopped at the door.

"As punishment for showing off, you have to treat me to lunch," she said, making sure she didn't look back in order to hide her blush, "Got it?"

Ash smiled. "Yeah, I got it."

"Then come on," she said, going out the door. Ash followed, thinking, _'Some punishment.'

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_I know this was a hands-down win for Ash, but that's just to show how good he's gotten. The rest of the tournament battles I write will be much longer. Plus, don't be surprised by the Pokémon they use. It's been five years right? You'll like May's first round; I can almost guarantee it. If you didn't understand May's behavior, she's actually very impressed.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	4. Chapter 4 May's Test

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, so stop asking!

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 4

It was May's turn to fight in her first round match. She was shaking from fright.

_'This is just my luck. How did I get matched up with an Elite Four right off the bat?'_ she thought, looking up at Agatha's picture right next to her own. She bit her lip to stop it from trembling. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Ash and was surprised to see him smiling gently at her.

"Why are you looking so upset?" he asked.

"I'm scared, Ash. I scared of losing because we said we would meet each other in the finals." Ash nodded.

"Remember what Drake taught me? You can't be overconfident or fear losing or you will miss things you normally wouldn't. Just focus on the battle and I have full confidence that you will win." May smiled, her eyes watering.

"Thanks, Ash."

"No problem. Now get out there. Your fans are waiting."

"I have fans?"

"Of course. I know one of them very well." May smiled and gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek before running out to the field, leaving Ash stunned.

As she got out on the field, she smiled confidently, and gazed toward Agatha on the other side of the field. The elderly lady stood up surprisingly straight. May could hear conversations in the stands.

"Dude, that chick is hot."

"I know. Too bad she's about to be slaughtered."

It was all May could do to not climb the wall and clobber the guys. Suddenly, she heard two screams and turned to see the two guys that were talking about her fried to a crisp and Ash sitting next to them.

"I'm so sorry," said Ash, bowing to hide his smile, "my Pikachu is sick, and sometimes lets out electric shocks." May giggled and focused on her opponent once more. The referee came to the side of the field.

"Each trainer will use six Pokémon of their choosing and is allowed to substitute at will. The match will end when either of the trainers' Pokémon are all unable to battle or when the trainer forfeits. There is no time limit. Trainers…Begin!"

May and Agatha released their Pokéballs simultaneously.

"Blaziken, Blaze Kick!"

"Sableye, Shadow Claw!"

Both Pokémon met in the center of the arena and their attacks met each other's torso, knocking them back.

"Blaziken, charge with Quick Attack!"

"Night shade!"

"Mirror Move!"

Sableye shot dark beams from her eyes and Blaziken copied the move. The attacks exploded in midair, and Blaziken charged into the smoke. Blaziken was about to emerge and deliver a Sky Uppercut, but he was suddenly hit by a Shadow ball and knocked out of the smoke.

_'Damn,' _May thought, _'I forgot about Sableye's Keen Eye ability.'_

Blaziken leapt to his feet and raised a fist that began glowing blue. He fired a blue sphere at Sableye. Sableye jumped to avoid it, but the sphere turned upward and hit her. In the stands, Ash gasped.

"That was an Aura Sphere!" he shouted.

Sableye fell, but Blaziken was waiting and delivered a Blaze Kick before it hit the ground. Sableye flew across the arena, and crashed in front of the referee, causing him to jump back.

"Sableye is unable to battle. The round goes to Blaziken!" Ash grinned as the rest of the crowd remained in a stunned silence.

"Sableye, return. Go, Dusclops!"

"Blaziken, return! Go, Delcatty!"

Once again the two Pokémon met in the center of the arena.

"Shadow Ball!" cried both trainers. Both Pokémon shot spheres of dark energy at each other and another explosion covered the field. Dusclops disappeared and reappeared behind Delcatty, drawing back a fist.

"Delcatty, Assist, Blaze Kick!" Delcatty reared up on her front legs and kicked Dusclops, looking like a horse.

"Now, Blizzard!" Delcatty hit Dusclops in midair, but Dusclops regained his balance and landed on his feet. He sent an Ice beam that hit Delcatty.

"Delcatty, Nasty Plot!" Delcatty sneered and melted into the air with a Faint Attack. After a few seconds, she reappeared in front of Dusclops.

"Latch on with Bite and use Hyper Beam!"

"Dusclops, Dynamic Punch!" Delcatty bit Dusclops to keep him from running, and fired her Hyper Beam just as Dusclops punched Delcatty in the side. As the dust cleared from the explosion, both Pokémon were revealed, unconscious.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle. This round is a draw!" A murmur spread through the crowd.

"Thanks, Delcatty. Return. Go, Milotic!"

"Go, Gengar!"

Both Pokémon wasted no time in gaining distance from each other. Milotic fired Ice Beam while Gengar shot a Shadow Ball. The collision of the attacks sent a strong cold wind through the stadium. Gengar charged with a Shadow Punch, but was knocked aside by Milotic's Aqua Tail. Milotic then hit Gengar with a Water Pulse. Gengar recovered and hit Milotic with Psybeam. Then he disappeared into thin air, but May was ready.

"Milotic, Mist, then shoot Blizzard upward!" As the Mist covered the arena, Milotic shot her Blizzard attack into the air. As the saying goes, all things that go up must come down, and when the cold air from the Blizzard fell, it froze the Mist, covering the field in little ice particles. Startled, Gengar reappeared, and Milotic took her chance to hit him with Hydro Pump. Gengar fell to the floor and began to rise.

"Finish it with Thunderbolt!" Milotic released her Thunderbolt, which was guided to Gengar by the water from Hydro Pump.

"Gengar is unable to battle. Milotic wins!" The audience, now aware that May was no ordinary trainer, cheered. But May wouldn't let herself be distracted.

"Return, Milotic. Go, Scizor!"

"Go Banette!"

Both Pokémon hovered in midair, waiting for their opponent to make a move. May decided to make the opening move to gain an advantage.

"Scizor, max out your stats with Agility, Double Team, and Swords Dance!" Scizor complied, and soon there were multiple Scizors racing around the field, glowing white.

"Banette, begin eliminating the clones with Night Shade!" Banette fired multiple blasts of Night Shade, making six clones disappear. On the seventh shot, the Scizor dodged the blast.

Agatha shouted out, "Banette, that's the real one! Sucker Punch!"

Banette immediately flew up to Scizor and punched it, but Scizor disappeared on impact.

"Another clone?!" Agatha cried. May took her chance.

"Scizor, Meteor Mash!" Scizor came down on Banette and the two crashed into the ground. When the dust settled, only Scizor stood.

"Banette is unable to battle. Scizor wins!" The crowd cheered again. May returned Scizor, and let out Glaceon, while Agatha chose Mismagius.

Agatha, wanting to catch up, moved first.

"Mismagius, Shadow ball!" May reacted quickly.

"Glaceon, Icy Wind, then Ice Shard!" Glaceon's Icy Wind blocked the Shadow ball, and then the more powerful Ice Shard was able to hit Mismagius. While she stumbled, May acted again.

"Combine Ice Ball with Quick Attack!" Glaceon fired a small ball of ice from its mouth, which sent Mismagius flying. Glaceon used Quick Attack to move behind Mismagius and sent a slightly larger Ice Ball at her. Glaceon then repeated the process.

"One hit…two hits…three hits…four hits…five hits!" May counted before Mismagius was allowed to hit the floor. As she was getting up, Glaceon hit her with a powerful Ice Beam, freezing her solid.

"Mismagius is unable to battle. Glaceon wins!"

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	5. Chapter 5 An Elite Four's Trump Card

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

**I received a long, criticizing anonymous review from someone who said I didn't know much about Pokémon. I'm okay with the criticism, but if you're still reading this, please send a signed review so I can reply with an explanation. You know who you are.** Anyway, enjoy.

**

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 5

"Yes! One more to go!" yelled May, but then she froze and looked around. Instead of bursting into applause like it usually had, the crowd had suddenly grown eerily quiet. Every person was sitting on the edge of their seats. There wasn't a single person smiling; some even looked scared. May didn't know what everybody else knew, but she assumed it wouldn't be pretty. She switched Glaceon with her last Pokémon, Bulbasaur, and looked toward Agatha, who had just returned Mismagius. Agatha chuckled.

"Who knew that I would need to use my secret weapon in the first round, and against a teen no less? I must warn you child, you've been quite good, but you'll need to step it up a few notches if you want to beat this! GO, GIRATINA!" She hurled her Pokéball, unleashing Giratina onto the field. May had read about Giratina and seen its picture before, but this Giratina was different. It had no legs, its wings were different, and to top it off, it looked much fiercer. She took a step backward, wishing she could run.

"May!" Ash's voice caught her attention, and she turned to face him in the stands.

"Remember, don't be afraid. You have the advantage. Now win this!" May had been hoping he would give her some advice, but then realized he hadn't because he believed she could do it on her own, so she nodded, took a deep breath, and began her attack.

"Bulbasaur, Magical Leaf! Bulbasaur sent sharp, shining leaves toward Giratina. They glanced off its tough skin, only making it wince for less than a second. It then used one of its six wings to hit Bulbasaur with a powerful Dragon Claw. Bulbasaur slowly got up and fired a Petal Dance next. It was a bit more effective, but only angered Giratina. It charged Bulbasaur with the intention of another Dragon Claw.

"Bulbasaur, Leaf Storm!" Bulbasaur unleashed a tornado of huge leaves into Giratina. This attack seemed to do real damage, but it didn't stop Giratina's attack, which hit its target. Bulbasaur fell and didn't get up.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. Giratina wins!"

Scizor and Milotic also fell, hardly doing any damage. May then sent out Glaceon, as it had not yet taken damage. Glaceon quickly attacked with an Ice Beam. When it hit, Giratina roared angrily. May slapped her self in the head. _Of course_ it was weak against ice, being part dragon.

"Glaceon, run around Giratina with Quick Attack while hitting it with Blizzard!" Glaceon released the Blizzard and ran in circles around Giratina. Giratina roared in pain and rage, raining down Dragon Claws on the field, unable to hit Glaceon.

"Yes!" cried May. Suddenly, Giratina disappeared. Glaceon stopped her technique and began searching for her opponent, confused. Then the spot Glaceon had been standing exploded, sending her flying straight into May's arms.

"I don't understand. What happened?" May asked. Agatha laughed.

"That was Shadow Force, the ultimate ghost-type move. It makes the user invisible and never misses, even if you were to use Protect." May then got an idea. She returned Glaceon to her ball, thanking her. May sent out Blaziken, her last Pokémon. She whispered something to him and sent him to the middle of the field.

"Let's finish this!" Agatha yelled, "Dragon Claw!" Blaziken jumped out of the way just as Giratina's attack hit the ground where he had once stood.

"Again!" called Agatha. Giratina began to chase Blaziken around the arena. Blaziken moved with great precision, attempting to use the least effort to dodge. After almost ten minutes, Agatha grew impatient.

"Stubborn, huh? Shadow Force!" Giratina disappeared once more, but Blaziken began to glow orange, and also disappeared. The audience scanned the arena for signs of either contestant. The center of the arena suddenly exploded, sending huge clouds of smoke into the stands. Several trainers released their flying Pokémon to blow away the dust. When the job was done, the entire audience gasped, with the exception of one trainer and his Pikachu. In the middle of the stadium lie Giratina, unmoving, with Blaziken kneeling in front of it, heavily wounded, but still able to battle.

"Giratina is unable to battle! The winners are Blaziken and the red trainer, May Maple!" The crowd roared. May and Agatha returned their Pokémon and met in the center of the field.

"Quite impressive, young lady, but I have to ask: how did you pull it off?" Agatha inquired. May smiled.

"After you explained how Shadow Force worked, I just needed you to use it on Blaziken, so I got him to dodge you until you used it, and when you did, I had him use Endure and Mirror Move to attack you with your own move, while making sure he would survive the attack." Agatha nodded.

"Ingenious." She then looked up at Ash, who was watching them.

"Is that the boy who won his match in record time without taking a single hit? You're both very strong. It's no wonder you know each other." May looked at him, noticing he had a puzzled look on his face when he saw they were both looking at him.

"Yeah, he's amazing." May said softly.

"He called to you when you were shaken up by Giratina. He must be very important to you to set you right so easily." May blushed.

"No! He's just the guy I traveled with who got me to love Pokémon!"

"Yes, I knew he was important," Agatha teased.

May stuttered, "I-I have to go. Thanks for the match. Bye!" She then ran to the exit to avoid any further embarrassment.

Inside, she met Ash and Pikachu.

"Congratulations," he said, before giving in to curiosity, "so, what were you two saying about me?"

"It's girl talk," said May with a smile. Ash smiled back.

"In other words, 'I'm not going to tell, so don't bother trying'?"

"Bingo!" May then yawned widely. Ash took her hand and led her to a bench by the wall.

"Thank you for bringing me to my senses again. I never could have won without you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nonsense," he replied, "you won on your own. I just-" He stopped as he noticed May's steady breathing and the smile on her face. He gently kissed her forehead and relaxed against the wall, ignoring Pikachu's teasing.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	6. Chapter 6 Ash vs Lance

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

**

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 6

It had been a week since May's victory against Agatha. Both Ash and May passed their second and third matches easily and Ash had just finished his fourth round match earlier that morning. The two were eating lunch in the Stadium lobby, talking.

"So," said Ash, "have you checked who your next opponent is yet?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"My next tough opponent should be a surprise. That way, I'll know if I'm really ready for anything." Ash smiled.

"Gutsy. I like it." May smiled back.

Suddenly, two trainers ran through the front doors.

"I can't believe we almost slept through Lance and Drake's match!" one yelled to the other. Ash and May overheard this and then looked at each other. They simultaneously sprang to their feet and bolted toward the stadium like their lives depended on it. They came into the stands and looked at the scoreboard. Both dragon trainers had only two Pokémon left. Drake had his Salamence out, and Lance was using Dragonite. Both dragons attacked each other with Dragon Pulse and the explosion knocked both Pokémon out. The next moment, the audience gasped as Lance sent out Rayquaza and Drake released Palkia. Ash scoffed.

"Sheesh, do all Elite Four members have legendaries?"

"Ash, look at what match this is." Ash looked at the top of the scoreboard. It read: Round 4 Match 2. Ash felt himself shiver in excitement. The victor would be his next opponent. He smiled slightly and turned to leave.

"Ash? Don't you want know who'll be your opponent?"

He shrugged, saying, "Just as much as you do." May laughed.

"You're such a copycat."

* * *

Three days later, it was time for the fifth round to begin. May's fourth round battle had been another easy win. The stadium was completely full; there wasn't a single empty seat, which was why Ash got May permission to watch in the field behind his spot.

"Good luck, Ash," May said, before the match started. Ash frowned.

"I'm insulted that you think I need luck at my level."

"Ash, I just-" Ash poked her on the forehead.

"I know. Thanks." He turned and walked to his position on the field. Lance appeared opposite him.

"So you beat Drake. Impressive," said Ash.

"What, you thought he was better than me?" asked Lance.

"No. I just battled him before and saw how strong he was, and now I get to see how strong you are."

"Indeed. I'm looking forward to it." The referee stepped forward.

"The first match of the fifth round is about to begin. Both trainers will use six Pokémon and may substitute at will. The first trainer to lose all his Pokémon or admit defeat will be eliminated. Trainers ready? Begin!"

Ash and Lance released their Pokémon. Ash began with a Huntail while Lance chose Dragonair. The Pokémon stared each other down as they waited for their trainers' commands. Lance struck first.

"Dragonair, Charge Beam!"

Dragonair shot a concentrated ray of electricity at Huntail, who remained still. The instant before the beam hit, Ash yelled, "Mirror Coat!"

Huntail's body glowed and sent the beam straight back at its owner, caught by surprise. As Dragonair was stunned from her own attack, Ash struck.

"Huntail, Ice Beam!" The blast knocked Dragonair into the ground, where she remained still.

"Dragonair is unable to battle. The winner is Huntail!" The crowd was in awe. Even May was surprised at how quickly Ash ended the first round. Lance switched to Flygon. Ash kept his Huntail out.

Lance had Flygon use Earthquake, sending spikes out of the fissures he created. Huntail weaved through the attack towards Flygon and hit him with an Iron Tail. Then he used Water Pulse at point blank, sending Flygon into the wall. Flygon got up and flew toward Huntail with a Mach Punch. Huntail dodged and wrapped himself around Flygon. He then released an Ice Beam from below right into Flygon's face. Huntail unwrapped itself from Flygon just as he hit the ground, unmoving. The crowd was so silent you could hear a penny drop through the entire stadium. The referee forgot to make the call. Finally, Lance spoke.

"How did you win without even giving your Pokémon a command?"

"Easy," Ash replied, smirking, "Each of my Pokémon have memorized their specific battle plans, so unless I give them a command, they're free to use which ever one they want."

"Impressive," said Lance, "I suppose I'll have to step it up then." He sent out a Garchomp.

"Garchomp, multiple Dragon Claws!" In the blink of an eye, Garchomp seemed to glide to Huntail and sent him flying toward the wall. It then chased down Huntail and hit him in another direction before he hit the wall and repeated the process. With the fourth hit, Garchomp sent Huntail high into the air and then jumped up, preparing to pound him into the ground. However, Huntail spun and hit Garchomp with an Iron Tail, sending him into the ground instead and creating a huge cloud of dust. Huntail made a safe landing near Ash.

"You let your guard down again, Huntail," Ash scolded. Huntail grunted in shame. When the dust cleared, there was a hole where Garchomp had landed. Ash's eyes widened.

"Shit! Huntail, get-" Garchomp burst out of the ground right beneath Huntail. Garchomp grabbed him by the tail and slammed him into the ground. Huntail lie unmoving in his own small crater. Ash recalled him, gritting his teeth. He then sent out a Metagross, except this Metagross was silver (shiny Pokémon).

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" Metagross swung one of its huge legs at Garchomp, who dodged by going underground. But this was Ash's plan.

"Metagross, Earthquake!" Metagross slammed its two front legs into the ground, causing many fissures to spread from the points of impact. Through one of these fissures, a motionless Garchomp could be seen. Lance grudgingly returned Garchomp and sent a Charizard to take its place.

"A Charizard, huh? Boy, does that bring back some painful memories," said Ash with his eyes closed, "I know you think you can beat Metagross easily since it's a big, slow target, and also weak against fire, but that's about to change. Metagross, Agility!" The crowd watched in awe as the huge Metagross sped around the arena, shaking the entire stadium.

"Nice try, but your movement is predictable with a size like that. Charizard, Blaze Blitz at 3 o' clock!" Lance shouted. The Charizard turned and sped right towards where Metagross was headed. "Metagross, stop and use Stone Edge!" Metagross dug all of its four clawed feet into the ground, halting it immediately. Then it raised a front leg, which took on a rocky texture, and swung at Charizard, hitting him like a baseball. The move was incredibly effective, and when the Charizard hit the ground, he didn't rise. Lance scowled as he returned his Charizard to his Pokéball. He finally sent out his most known Pokémon, Dragonite. Ash then recalled Metagross and tossed a Pokéball, sending out his own Dragonite. Lance scoffed.

"Are you mocking me!?"

"Of course not," Ash said frowning, "we just wanted to see how well we'd match up against an experienced Dragonite." Lance laughed.

"I don't know whether to be honored or insulted that you chose mine to be your test," he said. Ash sighed.

"Enough talk. Dragonite, Ice Punch!"

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.

Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...


	7. Chapter 7 Ash's Finish and May's Story

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Now that I think about it, I don't own anything valuable! T_T

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 7

Ash's Dragonite charged at Lance's, his fist raised and glowing bright blue.

"Dragonite, Counter, then Sky Uppercut!"

Lance's Dragonite ducked the attack and sent his elbow into his opponent's side. He then rose, punching Ash's Dragonite from below. Ash's Dragonite was sent flying into the air.

"Dragonite, tactic 92!"

As Ash's Dragonite fell, he hit a hole into the ground and disappeared inside, for a few moments, it didn't emerge, and Lance decided to use Ash's technique.

"Dragonite, Earthquake!"

Lance's Dragonite raised its left leg, preparing to stomp it into the ground, but Ash's Dragonite burst from right beneath him, ramming Lance's Dragonite and sending the battle into the sky.

"Dragonite," called Ash, "Hyper Beam, point blank!"

Ash's Dragonite fired, and the explosion from the attacked hit them both, Lance's Dragonite fell from the cloud of dust, and recovered from the fall just before he hit the ground. Lance pointed at the cloud of dust.

"He hasn't emerged yet, hit him with your own Hyper Beam!"

Lance's Dragonite fired at the cloud, but the attack went straight through, blowing away the dust with no sign of Ash's Dragonite. The people in the stands began muttering to each other, trying to find out where it had gone. May looked confused, until a light bulb went on in her head and she smiled, proud that she had figured it out. Meanwhile, Lance and his Dragonite were looking every which way, trying to find Ash's Dragonite. Ash was biting his lip, trying not to laugh. He _loved_ to see people's reactions to this strategy. Finally, he reluctantly decided that playtime was over.

"Dragonite, Dynamic Punch!"

Everyone's attention flicked back to the field as Ash's Dragonite once again emerged from directly underneath Lance's, this time delivering a powerful punch to his stomach. Ash's Dragonite then grabbed the snout of Lance's and tossed him over his shoulder and into the ground. Then, while keeping his hands around his enemy's snout to prevent any surprise blasts, Ash's Dragonite put his foot on the stomach of Lance's effectively pinning him to the ground, but there was no need, as Lance's Dragonite made no attempt to resist.

"Magnificent," admitted Lance, as he returned Dragonite to its Pokéball, "but please explain to me how you did that. I think the entire audience wants to know as well."

The crowd's continuing silence proved him right.

"Oh, alright," Ash sighed, wearing a huge grin that gave away his desire to share his plan, "Dragonite never left the ground until he used Dynamic Punch. What _did_ leave the ground was a physical copy of Dragonite, created from the move Substitute. That's why I wasn't afraid of our Hyper Beam blowing up in Dragonite's face."

"Magnificent," Lance repeated, "but your Dragonite is probably the only one who can fight my next Pokémon, and he's been greatly damaged. Go, Rayquaza!"

The huge, serpent-like dragon appeared on the field. Ash then shocked everyone by returning Dragonite and sending out his Sceptile. The audience again began to mutter amongst themselves, wondering what had happened to make Ash lose his mind. Only May knew that Sceptile was one of Ash's oldest and strongest Pokémon, and she smiled at the memories it brought.

"Tell you what, Lance," Ash called, "I have complete faith in this guy. If you can defeat him, I'll forfeit the match."

The entire audience fell into a shocked silence. May was the most stunned of all. Her smile had disappeared. She couldn't believe he gave himself another obstacle to overcome just to make himself look cool, after they had promised to meet in the finals. She grit her teeth as she stood and stormed out of the stands, not caring about the curious glances she got.

Back on the field, Sceptile had surprised everyone by trying to use Stone Edge on Rayquaza, but Rayquaza just flew out of reach and began to shoot at Sceptile with Ice Beams, Fire Blasts, and other long-ranged attacks that would be super effective against the grass-type. Sceptile would dodge and shoot Bullet Seeds, but Rayquaza had far more room to maneuver in the air. After a while, Ash switched to having Sceptile build up his attack power with Swords Dance. Every once in a while, Sceptile would get hit, but then he would recover with Synthesis, which was very effective considering there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Ash soon grew annoyed by Lance's tactics.

"Alright, Sceptile, they're not going to let us have any fun, so it's time to get serious. Tactic 150!!!"

Sceptile glowed and split into two, revealing that it also knew Substitute. The real Sceptile took its copy's arm in his hands and threw it straight at Rayquaza. Rayquaza easily dodged, but the substitute fired a Solarbeam in the opposite direction, changing its direction in mid-air. Taking Rayquaza by surprise, the substitute hit it with a Stone Edge, which, thanks to the increase in attack power, sent Rayquaza crashing back into the stadium.

"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant now!"

The real Sceptile slammed his palms into the ground. Humungous vines burst from the ground and began wrapping themselves around Rayquaza. Rayquaza thrashed violently to get free, but to no avail. The referee ran down to the arena to make his announcement.

"Rayquaza is unable to battle. The winners are Ash Ketchum and Sceptile."

The crowd roared. Ash looked around for May but couldn't find her. He frowned, but then figured she was waiting for him in the waiting room. After shaking hands with a congratulating Lance, he made his way back inside. He opened the door to find May right where he thought she would be. She was sitting with her back to him, hiding her face and her anger.

"So," Ash started, "what did you think of my big finish?"

"I wouldn't know," said May, putting venom into her voice as she turned to look at Ash, "I couldn't stand to look at your face after you made that bet with Lance."

"You mean you left in the middle of my match??" he asked shocked.

"Yep."

"But why? Didn't you care whether I kept our promise?"

"Why should I when it doesn't seem like you do?"

"What?!"

"You made that bet and put yourself in a tight situation just to make you look cooler! I thought you were the guy that would always put his friends and promises first! How stupid was I!?"

May choked back a sob and turned her back to him again. Ash looked at the ground his eyes glazed over.

"You weren't there, so you wouldn't know," he said.

"What wouldn't I know?!" yelled May, trying not break down in tears.

"Sceptile was the strongest Pokémon I took out there by far. If you had seen him you would have known that even if I hadn't made that bet, that round would have been the deciding one. If Sceptile lost, I didn't want to put the rest through pointless suffering. I thought you would have more faith in me."

He walked past her toward the door, motioning for Pikachu, who was silently standing next to May, to follow him. He was about to open the door when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned to see May flinging her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt, and almost knocking him over. He started to blush until he heard her sobbing.

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear that," she said, her voice cracking.

"May," Ash whispered. She continued.

"It's just that…I've been…Drew had…"

"Easy, May. Come on, sit down," said Ash, leading her to a bench and sitting her down. "Now, take it slow and steady." May hiccupped and continued explaining.

"At my last Grand Festival, I met Drew, and he seemed to have changed from when we first met him. He was kind to me, and we promised to meet in the finals. Then my matches suddenly started getting harder and harder. Later, I found out that Drew had been telling my opponents everything he knew about the way I battle. When I found out, I couldn't focus anymore. It was like a recording of myself was in my head, telling me constantly how stupid I was. I was immediately defeated in my next battle, and I found myself thinking about you, so I changed to challenging Gyms and entering leagues to try and find you. When I heard about this tournament, I freaked out because I knew you would be there. The days I've spent with you since I found you have been the happiest days I've had in years, and then I heard you make that bet with Lance, and I thought I had been let down again. I didn't know what to do."

Ash sat in silence during the whole story, taking it all in as he looked at the floor. When she finished, he looked at her. Her eyes were red from crying and he felt both furious for what Drew had done and guilty for making her like this.

"Listen, May," he said gently, taking her hand in his own, causing her to look at him hopefully, "I'm very sorry that I made you feel like this, but I swear that I've always kept our promise in my mind, whether it was before, during, or after my battles, and I swear that I will not disappoint you. Ever."

She wiped away her tears and beamed at him, her eyes still red.

"You bad boy. You shouldn't swear," she joked. He smiled back, relieved that she was feeling herself again. May slowly leaned forward, surprising him before her lips met his. After she wrapped her arms around his neck, he realized this wasn't just a thankful peck, and responded by pushing his lips harder against hers and wrapping his arms around her waist. He tried to push his tongue against her lips to ask for entrance, only to find her tongue doing the same. Their eyes opened in surprise for a second before they laughed and proceeded to compete for control. Ash pushed May so she was lying on her back, pulled her bandana out of her hair, and let it fall to the floor.

"Pika Pikachu…"

The both of them jumped at Pikachu's voice, having forgotten he was there. Ash, being his trainer and understanding him perfectly, blushed deep red and practically jumped off of May.

"You little rat!" he screamed, "The one that needs protection now is you!"

He chased Pikachu out the door and down the halls, leaving May on the bench, red from her ears all the way down her neck.

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**I've adopted a method of updating that I saw recently. I will post a new chapter when the latest chapter gets a review. That means if you want this updated, you don't have to wait for others.**

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**


	8. Chapter 8 May's Mysterious Opponent

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did, I'd have a few Flying-types so I wouldn't have to ride airplanes.

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**I'm going to do something pretty unrealistic with May's Blaziken throughout the story, so I don't want all these reviews complaining about it. There will be an explanation later in the story. Also, to the guy who sent a long review saying I don't know much about Pokémon, Blaziken _can_ learn Mirror Move naturally, so IN YOUR FACE, and I didn't twist things too much by letting him know Aura Sphere, since it _is_ a Fighting-type move.  
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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 8

It was May's turn for her fifth match, and once again, she was trembling. However, this time she was excited. She was to face-off against another Elite Four, based off what she had heard. She still didn't know who though. May felt like she wouldn't be scared against anyone now. Well, maybe Drake or Lance, but they were both eliminated. Maybe she'd fight Lorelei, or Koga. She knew she had seen both of them in the last fourth of the tournament listings. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to meet Ash.

"Hey Ash, did you hear? I'm facing another Elite Four today!" Ash's eyebrows rose.

"Really? But I was sure that last I checked, all the Elite Four members you would have faced before the sixth round were eliminated."

"What?!" May yelled, clearly disappointed.

"Calm down, May," said Ash, "This just means that there are others able to beat the Elite Four besides us." May's face brightened up once more, and Ash laughed.

"And here I thought that I'd have to talk you out of your fear again." May looked puzzled.

"Why would you need to do that if I'm not facing the Elite Four?" she asked. "Because this guy beat two of them himself." May tensed and felt the hair on her arms stand on end. She smiled confidently. Ash saw an opportunity and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Don't get too confident," he chided. His hot breath caused her to snap out of her trance and blush madly.

"I'm not!" she complained, pouting. Ash just smiled. May sighed.

"Anyway, it's time for my match," she said as she walked toward the exit.

"Good luck!" Ash called. May looked back at him.

"I'm insulted that you think I would need luck at my level," she mocked, smiling as she stuck out her tongue before walking through the door. Ash brought his hand up to his forehead.

"I guess I had that one coming, huh, Pikachu?" His partner just chuckled.

As May walked to her side of the field, she noticed that her opponent hadn't shown up yet. A few moments later, the door on the other side of the arena opened, and a boy emerged. He had dark purple hair that could easily be mistaken for black that went down to his chin. He wore a large red cloak that covered his entire body and his mouth, but from the way his eyes remained squinted, May guessed he was frowning. The referee stepped forward.

"The final match of the fifth round between Duke and May begins now."

_"So his name is Duke,"_ thought May, as she reached for one of the balls on her belt, _"someone needs to talk to him about his fashion sense."_

May began with Aggron, while Duke sent out Rhyperior. May grinned, thinking she had the advantage.

"Rhyperior, Sucker Punch."

Rhyperior punched Aggron in the face so quickly that neither Aggron nor May had any time to react. Aggron staggered backwards. Before he could recover, Rhyperior grabbed his right arm and threw him over his shoulder and into the ground.

"Finish it with Focus Blast," Duke calmly ordered. Rhyperior focused energy into its right arm and fired an enormous blast at Aggron, which exploded on impact. Aggron tried to get out of the crater the blast created, but collapsed.

"Aggron is unable to battle!" called the ref.

May was petrified for a moment, then returned Aggron and switched to Blaziken.

"Blaziken, use Plan B!" May called. Blaziken nodded in understanding.

"Rhyperior, Ancientpower." Duke commanded. Rhyperior swiped its fist into the ground, knocking up large fragments of rock towards Blaziken. To everyone's astonishment, Blaziken launched rocks at Rhyperior in the same manner, and the attacks met in midair, cancelling each other out. Duke's eyes narrowed.

"Rhyperior, Earthquake." Rhyperior stomped his foot into the ground, making many spikes of earth emerge from the ground towards Blaziken. Again, Blaziken copied the attack, canceling his opponent's move with it. Duke began to get angry.

"Focus Blast." Rhyperior once again focused energy into his arm and Blaziken did the same. They fired their attacks at each other. This time, when the attacks collided, Blaziken's move easily burst through Rhyperior's. Rhyperior couldn't dodge completely, but side-stepped to avoid a direct hit. As he staggered back, May could hear Duke grit his teeth from across the arena.

"What's wrong?" May asked, smiling and trying to look more confident than she was, "Did you forget that Blaziken specializes in Fighting-type attacks as well as Fire-type attacks?" Duke's anger vanished, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he said, "I didn't know that; I'll have to remember from now on. Thanks for the tip." May's smile disappeared.

_"Has he never seen a Blaziken before?"_ she thought, _"But how could he make it this far if he doesn't even know about some Pokémon?"_

"Blaziken, it's time to finish this! Focus Punch!" Blaziken charged toward Rhyperior, his fist glowing brightly.

"Don't think so," said Duke, "Rhyperior, Hyper Beam." Rhyperior fired the powerful blast right at Blaziken, but Blaziken just ran faster. At the last second, he jumped over the blast and delivered his attack straight down on Rhyperior's head, forcing his mouth closed while still firing his own attack. Blaziken landed behind Rhyperior, who staggered before collapsing. The referee, by this point, had decided to keep his mouth shut during the matches unless there were any rules broken.

Duke returned his Rhyperior indifferently, then sent out an Empoleon. May smiled, knowing that Empoleon could be strong and weak against Blaziken.

"Blaziken, Close Combat!" Blaziken used his speed to get right in front of Empoleon and began rapidly punching him. This continued for almost a full minute before May started to get nervous.

_"He should be beat by now, why is he still standing?"_ Duke saw May's confusion.

"Look at Empoleon's right wing," he told her. May squinted to see through Blaziken's attacks and saw what looked like a red ribbon tied around the wing.

"That's a Focus Sash," explained Duke, "It's an item that would allow my Pokémon to survive an attack if it would be beaten in one move. And now, it's time for you to pay for your impatience." Empoleon began to glow a bright blue, which May recognized as its Torrent ability, which would give a lot of power to water attacks.

"Empoleon, Hydro Cannon!" Duke commanded.

"Blaziken, Endure!" yelled May. Blaziken stopped attacking and crossed his arms in front of his face just before Empoleon unleashed a huge, concentrated blast of water. Blaziken dug his feet into the ground but was still pushed across the arena. May grew terrified as she realized Blaziken would crash into her if he didn't stop. She thought she heard Ash shout her name, but she couldn't be sure over the sound of the Hydro Cannon. She closed her eyes, expecting to be hit, but after a couple seconds, she opened one eye to see Blaziken standing strong against the attack a few feet away. Blaziken looked back and grinned at May as he began to glow with his Blaze ability. May smiled, knowing what her partner was telling her.

"I guess it's finally time to use it, huh?" she asked. Blaziken nodded in response before turning to face the front.

"It's the first time we'll use it in battle," said May, "Now let's see how powerful it's gotten. Blast Burn!" Blaziken opened his mouth and released a blast of fire even larger than the Hydro Cannon. It quickly pushed the blast from right in front of Blaziken all the way into Empoleon. When Blaziken ended its attack, Empoleon fell to the ground. Duke returned his Empoleon. Blaziken fell to his knees, panting heavily.

"Are you okay, Blaziken?" asked May. Blaziken gave a tired nod. "I'll try to win this with the others from here, but if I end up using you, we might have to take off _those_. She then returned him to his Pokéball and let out her Altaria as Duke sent out Skarmory.

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**In case you couldn't tell, Blaziken was using Mirror Move.**

**Elite Four eliminated so far: Agatha, Drake, Lance, Lorelei, and Koga**

**I will update when someone has reviewed this chapter.**

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**


	9. Chapter 9 Blaziken's Test

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 9

The two Flying-type Pokémon settled in the middle of the field, waiting for their commands. May decided to take the initiative.

"Altaria, Ice Beam!"

Both birds took off from the ground, Altaria firing an Ice Beam soon after. Skarmory deflected it with a Steel Wing, then counter by shooting many tiny stars out his beak with Swift. The small stars caused Altaria to lose her balance, which was when Skarmory got close and delivered a Drill Peck. Altaria countered by blowing her Dragonbreath at Skarmory and flying higher. Skarmory was pushed back several feet before he recovered and gave chase. Once both Pokémon were too high to hear their trainers, Altaria stopped rising and fired a Dragon Pulse at Skarmory. Skarmory, being made of steel, flew straight through it while taking little damage. When he got through the attack, Altaria had vanished. While he was searching for his opponent, Altaria hit him from behind with an Ice Beam, and one of Skarmory's wings froze. With one wing frozen, Skarmory began to fall. Altaria took this time to begin charging her body with an orange energy. Once finished, Altaria released the built up energy, which took the shape of a bird and dove down towards Skarmory. Skarmory used his good wing to break up the ice and regain his balance just before Altaria's attack collided with him and drove him into the ground. As Altaria landed, she blew away the dust around the unconscious Skarmory. May shook her head.

"You always have to show off your Sky Attack, don't you?" Altaria just held her head up high.

Duke returned Skarmory and let out his Machamp.

"This Machamp is the ultimate fighting Pokémon," said Duke, "I've trained it to use its four arms to their full potential. Also, its Special Defense is perfect, so long ranged attacks won't work."

May scoffed. Then she felt something moving on her belt and looked down to find Blaziken's Pokéball shaking wildly. She took it in her hand and smiled, saying, "You want to prove him wrong, right?"

The ball shook even harder. May rolled her eyes.

"You're so predictable," she said as she recalled Altaria. As soon as Altaria was back in her ball, Blaziken released himself from his own.

"He said he trained his Machamp to use those arms to their fullest, so we won't give him time to use them, got it?" May whispered. Blaziken nodded and ran towards Machamp at top speed.

"Machamp, Dynamic Punch."

Machamp drew back his two right fists and swung when Blaziken drew near.

"Low Kick!" May called at the last second.

Blaziken slid under Machamp's punches while kicking his right leg and making him stumble. May began madly calling out attacks. "Vital Throw! Sky Uppercut! Seismic Toss! Aura Sphere! Focus Punch!"

Blaziken stood up from behind the falling Machamp and grabbed the leg he had just kicked. He then threw Machamp straight up high into the air and jumped up to follow him. As Blaziken caught up with Machamp, he delivered a mighty uppercut to Machamp's jaw. Before Machamp could once more fly out of reach, Blaziken grabbed one of his arms and threw Machamp straight toward the ground with everything he had. After Machamp hit the ground, Blaziken started rapidly firing Aura Spheres, knowing that each one would home in on the target on its own. Blaziken kept attacking even as he began to fall, but once he was near the ground, and near Machamp, he gathered energy in his fist and punched Machamp in the stomach as he landed, blowing away all the dust that had risen. Machamp lie on the ground with its mouth wide open and its eyes rolled back; the only sign of movement was the twitching of one of his right pinkies. Blaziken raised his fist in a triumphant pose. Duke's eyes were wide with rage. He quickly returned Machamp and sent out Salamence. May moved to return Blaziken to his Pokéball, but Blaziken shook its head at her and turned to face his next opponent. May realized that he wanted to test his limits, because he had not lost in a long time.

"Okay, Blaziken. But you'll have to figure out your own strategy as an added challenge," said May. Blaziken grinned.

"Interesting," said Duke, "I'll have mine do the same."

Salamence took off into the air while breathing his Dragonbreath at Blaziken, who countered with Flamethrower. Because its Blaze ability was still in effect, the Flamethrower broke through the Dragonbreath and barely missed Salamence. Salamence then flapped its wings, whipping up his Twister attack. Blaziken shot his Flamethrower into the center of the Twister, and the wind made the attack even stronger. The Twister turned into a pillar of fire that engulfed Salamence. He broke through the fire, earning himself many burns. Blaziken spotted Salamece and jumped onto his back and grabbed his wings, causing him to begin falling. Salamence started to spin, trying to throw off Blaziken. Blaziken let himself be thrown off just before Salamence crashed into the ground. Salamence emerged from the crater he had created, his movements fueled by anger. He began to radiate a red energy all over his body. Suddenly, he shot forward in a burst of speed and power, creating trenches as evidence that he had been there. Blaziken was caught off guard, and was barely able to dodge the attack.

"Now you've done it," said Duke, "He's using Outrage now. I'd like to see how you beat him _now_." Blaziken smirked and his wounds began to heal from his Roost technique.

"Now let's use Ash's strategy!" called May. Blaziken split himself into two: one real, the other one a physical copy. The copy began to glow the same color as Salamence after using Mirror Move. Salamence charged towards them and the Substitute moved forward, too. When they collided, the copy vanished and Salamence was thrown to the side, where he didn't get up. Duke scowled and recalled Salamence. His last Pokémon was a Manectric.

"Shock Wave!" Duke wasted no time in attacking Blaziken. Manectric sent out a blast of electricity that widened as it moved forward. Blaziken knew he wouldn't be able to dodge, so he crouched down and used his arms as a shield to minimize the damage. As soon as the attack ended, Blaziken ran towards Manectric at top speed, knowing that he was near his limit. Manectric then shot a Charge Beam at Blaziken, who dodged with the least amount of effort. Manectric used his Shock Wave again, but Blaziken overpowered it with Heat Wave. The attacked knocked Manectric off his feet. Blaziken reached Manectric and threw a Fire Punch, but Manectric caught Blaziken's fist in his mouth while using Thunder Fang. Both Pokémon took damage. Manectric fired a close-range Thunderbolt. Blaziken moved to dodge, but his right arm was hit, leaving it very charred. Blaziken then copied Manectric with Flamethrower. Manectric jumped to avoid the attack only to be hit by Blaziken's Sky Uppercut. He fell to the floor and didn't notice Blaziken shoot a large blast of Overheat. The technique swallowed Manectric before he saw it coming. When Blaziken stopped, Manectric was out cold. The referee rose from his seat.

"Manectric is unable to battle. May and Blaziken win!"

Blaziken let out a sigh of relief and fell on his back, exhausted. May walked up to Blaziken and smiled.

"You were excellent Blaziken." Duke walked up to them.

"Most impressive," he said, "The two members of the Elite Four I faced probably would only stand a chance against you if they teamed up. Are all your Pokémon as powerful as this guy?" May shook her head.

"Nope. He's my one greatest champion. He's been with me since the beginning of our journey." Blaziken grinned with pride.

"Still, how did you beat Hydro Cannon with a Blast Burn?" asked Duke. May smiled.

"Just some special training we're doing."

"Like what?"

"Stick around for the rest of the tournament and you might find out," she said, before returning Blaziken to his Pokéball and walking off the field.

Ash met her inside like they always did.

"Hey," he called, "you had me worried during that battle with Empoleon."

"I thought I heard you back there," said May, "but there was no reason to worry." Ash smiled, knowing that she was just pretending she wasn't scared.

"I saw that," he replied, "You trained Blaziken amazingly well." May smiled. The two remained in silence until May spoke up.

"Ash, about the other day, after your match…" she started. Ash waved his hand dismissively. "If it was spur of the moment then it's fine, completely understandable."

"No, Ash. I kissed you because I wanted to…because…" she blushed, "I think I love you…" Ash let out a breath he had been holding.

"Man, that's _such_ a relief to hear you say that," he said. May brightened.

"Then…"

"Yeah, May. I love you too." She walked up to him and they both leaned forward before the door was opened.

"Can't a guy kiss a girl in peace around here!?" Ash yelled, earning some giggles from May. The boy that walked in froze when he heard what Ash said. He looked at Ash, then May, then got a mischievous grin on his face, pointed at May, and yelled, "Aha! I always knew you had a crush on him!"

Ash and May both recognized the voice of May's little brother.

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**I will post the next chapter when I receive a review for this one**.

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**


	10. Chapter 10 Reunited Again?

Disclaimer: I could never own Pokémon. I'd run out of ideas and change it so that it wouldn't be suitable for younger kids.

**

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 10

"Max!?"

"When did you get here?"

He readjusted his glasses and said, "I found out about the tournament a few days after it started, and it took a while to get here. I would've wanted to enter, but with Ash in the tournament, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"What about me?" asked May. Max looked at her strangely.

"What about you?"

"I'm competing too!" Max laughed.

"Yeah. As if you would stand a chance in this place." May stomped over to him and pinched his cheeks hard.

"Take that back!"

"Owowow! Ash, save me!"

"Sorry, man. You deserved that one." Max quickly apologized, and May let go of his cheeks, leaving them red and sore.

"I still can't believe you entered his tournament," said Max.

"You shouldn't be quick to judge someone if you haven't seen them in a few years," Ash scolded. Max nodded and changed the subject.

"So, how long have you two been together?" he asked. May blushed while Ash just frowned, still upset about Max's interruption.

"About 3 seconds before you entered the room," he snapped. Max gasped.

"What!? That recently? Wow. I have great timing!"

"I disagree," said Ash, sourly. May giggled at Ash's childish display.

"So Max, how do suggest we catch up?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah!" he shouted, "Let's battle! I'm sure I can beat you by now." Ash laughed to himself. _'This should be interesting,'_ he thought. May grinned.

"Okay. How many Pokémon do you want to use?"

"How about four?" May nodded and motioned for Max to follow her outside. Ash went with them.

When they were outside, Ash stood between the two to act as referee. May let out Blaziken. Max's eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell happened to him!? He looks like he was run over by several dozen tanks!" A vein grew visible on Blaziken's forehead as it tried to control its temper. May smiled.

"He's just a bit tired from the match we just finished."

"Why didn't you tell me!? I want a fair match!" yelled Max as he grew angry. May thought for a second, then she smiled.

"It does seem a bit unfair. How about this: My worn out Blaziken against all the Pokémon you have with you. Does that seem better?" Max was furious.

"Fine! But don't be upset when you lose!" Ash then raised his hand.

"It's been decided," he said, acting official and earning a laugh from May, "May's Blaziken versus all of Max's Pokémon. Anything goes and there is no time limit. Begin!"

Max began with Swellow, one of his favorites because he knew Ash used one on their journey together.

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" Swellow flew low and picked up speed, seeming to disappear. However, Blaziken was able to catch him by the beak just before he was hit. He then delivered a Fire Punch to Swellow's belly. Max then ordered Swellow to use Gust, which whipped up powerful winds around Blaziken. But Blaziken stood still, unaffected by the winds. He then fired Aura Sphere at Swellow, who took a direct hit and fainted. Max hesitated before returning Swellow and sending out a Flygon.

Flygon fired a Dragonbreath at Blaziken, who side-stepped to dodge. Blaziken then moved quite similarly to Swellow before using his own Aerial Ace on Flygon, who fell on his back. Blaziken grabbed him by the tail and threw him into the air before jumping up after him.

"Flygon, Hyper Beam!"

Flygon fired his attack at the midair Blaziken, but Blaziken just knocked it out of the way, being careful to use his uninjured arm. While Max and Flygon paused in shock, Blaziken knocked Flygon back to the ground with Blaze Kick. Flygon moved but couldn't get up. Max returned him and sent out a large Tyranitar.

May was impressed that Max could handle a Tyranitar, but didn't hesitate.

"Blaziken, Vacuum Wave."

Blaziken punched the air hard, and the force of it hit Tyranitar in the chest, sending it over Max's head and into the ground several feet behind him. He looked back at the unmoving Tyranitar on the ground, remembering the couple inches that had been between it and his head. May laughed nervously.

"Sorry. I guess I overdid it."

Max looked at her and raised his hands to either side of his head.

"I surrender," he said, his voice a few tones higher than usual. May frowned.

"Relax, Max, I'm not going to shoot you or anything." Ash laughed.

"Now do you see how dumb you sounded when you underestimated her?" Max nodded, his face a little blue from fear.

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**It's a short chapter I know, but I couldn't resist writing it. I'll up date again when this chapter is reviewed.**

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**

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	11. Chapter 11 A Contest of Fighters

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

**

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Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 11

Ash stood at the doors to the field. His sixth round match was about to begin. Max and May stood behind him.

"Ash, are you sure about this?" asked Max, "Bruno is the best Fighting-type Pokémon trainer there's ever been." Ash looked back at him.

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have accepted his challenge in the first place," he said matter-of-factly.

_Flashback_

_Ash laughed. "Now do you see how dumb you sounded when you underestimated her?" Max nodded, his face a little blue from fear. _

"_Excuse me, Ash."_

_Ash heard a familiar voice and turned to see who it was._

_"Bruno!" he said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"_

_"I'm guessing that you don't know that I'm your next opponent," Bruno replied calmly._

_"Actually, no," said Ash, sheepishly, "May and I have decided that we don't want to know who we're battling until the last second."_

_"Sorry about that, but could I ask you how many Fighting-type Pokémon you have?"_

_"Enough to make a full party, why?" Bruno pointed his finger at Ash._

_"Ash, I challenge you to a battle of all Fighting-type Pokémon!" Ash grew excited._

_"I accept!" he shouted._

_End of Flashback_

"Don't you two worry," said Ash, "I've brought all my best fighters with me."

"Max is the one who's worried, not me," said May, smiling before giving Ash a peck on the cheek, "Now go show 'em who's best." Ash smiled.

"That's the plan," he said, before walking through the doors. The crowd cheered as he walked to his place on the field.

"So, Ash," said Bruno, from the other side of the field, "Did you only bring Fighting-type Pokémon like we agreed?"

"Of course," said Ash, "I don't go back on my word, and that's exactly why I'm going to win!" He hurled a Pokéball, which released his old Primeape. Bruno began with Machoke.

"Machoke, begin with Karate Chop!"

Machoke charged toward Primeape with its hand raised. Primeape was hit square in the head, but then he grabbed Machoke's arm and threw him back to his end of the field.

"Charge, Primeape!"

Primeape ran straight for Machoke as he was recovering.

"Machoke, Seismic Toss!"

Machoke reached out to grab Primeape as he approached, but Primeape slid under the grab and knocked Machoke to the ground by kicking his legs out from under him. As Machoke was getting up, he swung a Mega Kick that threw Primeape back into the wall. Primeape quickly got up and jumped on Machoke's back while scratching him with Fury Swipes. Machoke fell backwards to crush Primeape, but Primeape jumped off before he hit the ground.

"Primeape, Mega Punch!"

Primeape took the chance to deliver the punch to Machoke's gut, knocking him out. Bruno called him back and sent out Hitmontop.

"Hitmontop, Rapid Spin!"

Hitmontop jumped onto his head and rapidly began spinning towards Primeape. Primeape raised his arms to defend against Hitmontop's three rapidly spinning feet. As he was receiving hits, Ash got an idea.

"Primeape, Low Kick, then Sky Uppercut!"

Primeape swiped his leg at the tip on Hitmontop's head, sending him into the air. Primeape jumped up to punch Hitmontop.

"Hitmontop, Detect, then Triple Kick!"

Hitmontop stopped spinning just long enough to bend his head back and dodge the punch before landing his tip on Primeape's arm and spinning, delivering three kicks to Primeape and knocking it to the ground, unconscious. Ash frowned because his plan didn't work, as he recalled Primeape and switched to Hitmonlee.

Hitmonlee wasted no time in taking a large jump forward and ramming his knee into Hitmontop's chest, sending him back and into the opposite wall.

"Nice Jump Kick! Just be careful with it!" called Ash. Hitmontop ran at Hitmonlee, surprising him and Ash into hesitating before ramming Hitmonlee with its Skull Bash. With the extra damage from the tip on Hitmontop's head, Hitmonlee fainted. Ash scowled.

"Great. You just had to ruin my record of always being in the lead, didn't you?" he asked.

"Now you know how Elite Four members feel when they're beaten by kids," said Bruno. Ash's grin returned.

"That's right! I just have to return this feeling right back to you, with interest!" He recalled Hitmonlee and sent out Hitmonchan.

"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!"

"Hitmontop, Focus Punch!"

Hitmonchan charged at Hitmontop as Hitmontop was readying its attack. Both Pokémon swung at the same time and landed direct hits. Hitmontop succumbed to all the damaged it had taken, but Hitmonchan also fainted. Ash growled.

_'Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan must have been slacking off during training again.'_

Both trainers returned their defeated Pokémon. Ash then released Poliwrath as Bruno chose Medicham.

"Poliwrath, Bubblebeam!"

"Medicham, Psybeam!"

Poliwrath sprayed a stream of bubbles while Medicham shot psychic beams from her eyes. The beams collided and canceled each other out. Medicham ran through the cloud of dust that had risen, but on the other side, Poliwrath was waiting with his Hypnosis attack. Medicham quickly fell asleep, and Poliwrath gave her a powerful Dynamic Punch, knocking her out. Bruno recalled Medicham and sent out Breloom.

Poliwrath ran forward to attack with Mega Punch, but when Breloom was hit, poisonous spores were released from his body and covered Poliwrath. Poliwrath cringed as the poison spread, but he charged at Breloom, preparing an Ice Punch.

"Breloom, Giga Drain!"

Breloom dodged PoliWrath's punch and grabbed him from behind while draining his energy. The super effective attack, along with the poison, left Poliwrath spent of his energy. Ash recalled Poliwrath and sent out his powerful Infernape.

Breloom ran at Infernape, attempting a Sky Uppercut. Infernape side-stepped and countered with a Fire Punch to Breloom's face. This time, paralyzing spores were released from Breloom's body, but Infernape jumped back before he could be caught in them.

"Infernape, Overheat!"

Infernape spewed a gigantic blast of fire at Breloom. Breloom was sent flying and crashed into the ground, out cold. Bruno recalled him and sent out his Hariyama, which towered over Infernape.

"Infernape, Flamethrower!"

Infernape sprayed a stream of fire from its mouth, but Hariyama easily blocked it with his large hand while moving forward.

"Infernape, Mega Kick!"

Infernape jumped and kicked hard into Hariyama's face. Hariyama was only knocked back a bit, but he quickly recovered and grabbed Infernape by the leg he had kicked with. Hariyama then swung Infernape into the ground before throwing him across the arena. Infernape landed on his feet and immediately jumped forward, somersaulting into his Flame Wheel attack. Hariyama caught the wheel of fire by clamping his hands on either side of it. The wheel slowly stopped spinning until Infernape hung there with his arms spread out to keep himself from being crushed. He kicked into Hariyama's belly, launching himself out of the hold. Infernape charged once again, readying his Mach Punch, but Hariyama clapped his hands in front of him, startling Infernape out of his move. Hariyama then let himself fall on Infernape with his Body Slam. When he got up, Infernape was unconscious. Ash recalled him.

"Well, it all comes down to this, doesn't it, pal?" said Ash as he brought out his last Pokéball, "I'm counting on you!"

He threw the Pokéball, which released a fierce, but calm, Lucario. Hariyama charged at Lucario when he showed no signs of moving. Suddenly, Lucario's eyes lit up, and waves of psychic power burst from him. The waves hit Hariyama, knocking him into the ground and pushing him back. When Lucario cancelled the attack, Hariyama was defeated.

"I see that you've taught your Lucario Psychic," said Bruno as he recalled his Pokémon, "But that move won't work against my next fighter."

"That's okay," replied Ash while he rubbed the back of his neck, "That move was sort of dumb luck anyway. We haven't completely mastered it." Bruno smiled as he released his final Pokémon: Gallade.

"Lucario, Dragon Pulse!"

Lucario gathered the glowing white energy in his hands, but before he could fire, Gallade teleported behind him and delivered a Night Slash to send him flying. Gallade then teleported into Lucario's path to hit him again. But Lucario was expecting this. He turned in midair and hit Gallade in the chest with Force Palm. Gallade was knocked back but kept his stance. Next, he prepared to fire his Psycho Cut.

"Lucario, Me First!"

Lucario saw through Gallade's attack and swiped his fist through the air, forming a blade of psychic power from the spike on the back of his hand: his own more powerful Psycho Cut. The blade flew through the air and hit Gallade before he could use his own technique. Gallade flew high into the air. Lucario once more gathered energy for Dragon Pulse before firing at his air-born opponent. Gallade barely managed to dodge by teleporting to the ground. He then charged at Lucario, his right arm glowing green with his Leaf Blade. Lucario blocked the move with a Stone Edge from his left arm. With his free arm, he delivered a Sky Uppercut to Gallade's chin, then quickly followed up with a close-range Shadow Ball. Gallade was sent flying across the field before he hit the ground, unconscious.

"Gallade is unable to battle. Ash and Lucario win!" Ash raised his hands in victory as the crowd cheered. He walked to the center of the stage to shake hands with Bruno.

"That was a great comeback," said Bruno, "I was sure I had you beat halfway into the match." "That's because I had to face you with a couple of slackers in my team," said Ash, laughing to hide his irritation. "I have to go now. Someone's waiting for me," he said before exiting the field.

He opened the doors to the waiting room to find May waiting for him with a smile on her face.

"Hey, beautiful," said Ash as he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

*Ahem*

Ash broke the kiss and looked to his left to see Max on a bench next to the wall with Pikachu in his arms.

"Hey, Max. Didn't see you there," he said, before going back to kissing May.

_*Ahem*_

Ash once more broke the kiss, but this time kept his eyes on May.

"Your brother doesn't seem happy with our little show," he said, grinning, "You think we should step it up to PG-13?"

_"Ewwwww!"_ screamed Max, before running out the door. May laughed.

"You've become really good at driving him crazy," she said. "I bet we could drive him even crazier together," he replied, smirking mischievously. May sighed dreamily.

"Could I have asked for a better boyfriend?"

"You ain't seen nothin' yet," said Ash, causing May to giggle again before they proceeded to make out.

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**It's finally here. The day that I don't have a chapter pre-prepared is here. That said, I don't know who to make May battle next. Below are the ones I'm considering.**

**Sidney, Glacia, or Aaron**

**Please review with your opinion on who I should use. The sooner you review, the more I'll take into account your opinion, even if you suggest what legendary you think they should use.**

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**


	12. Chapter 12 A Cold & Wet Trial

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

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**This was my most difficult chapter yet, and perhaps my longest. I'm soooo relieved to be finished with it.**

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To Rocky: Sorry man. You were out voted and I was leaning this way already because I couldn't think of legendaries for the other two.  
**

**To death knight54321: Sorry to you, too. No legendary birds this chapter, but keep reading and you might like what you find.  
**

**To everyone who has reviewed: Thanks!  
**

* * *

**Interregional Showdown**

Chapter 12

It was cold, no, _excruciatingly_ cold out on the field where May was right now and it was all she could do to keep from shivering. It was pouring like the end of the world, but of course that wouldn't stop the tournament. May had stubbornly gone out without a raincoat, saying "If I go out there with a coat, people will make fun of me for worrying about how I look." It was only after she saw Glacia come out in a hooded raincoat that she felt incredibly stupid. Her outfit was now sticking to her figure, encouraging rude comments from some male spectators, though they would be mysteriously struck down with lightning despite the assurance that this was _not_ a thunderstorm.

"Hey honey," said Glacia from the other side of the field, "Too bad about the rain. Your champion will be weak in this weather."

"Blaziken? Nah, I trained him to withstand water, and I didn't bring him today anyway," said May, trying to sound indifferent.

"May I ask why?" inquired Glacia, while suppressing her surprise.

"Ash beat Bruno at his own game, so I want to show him I can do the same by beating you with Ice and Water Pokémon. I can't afford to let him outdo me now!" May claimed proudly.

"Ash? That wonder-boy that started off the tournament with a bang? I take it he's your rival."

"Uh…sort of," May blushed, but it was impossible to see in the downpour. Suddenly, the ref cut their conversation short.

"This will be a six-on-six Pokémon battle," the ref spoke into a microphone to be heard above the rain, "the trainers may substitute at will. There is no time limit. Trainers…begin!"

"Go, Squirtle!"

"Go, Weavile!"

The Pokémon appeared on the field a few feet away from each other. May decided to start.

"Squirtle, Rapid Spin!" Glacia smiled.

"Weavile, Crush Claw!" Weavile sped toward Squirtle, but was shocked when Squirtle withdrew into her shell and used it as a wheel to quickly ram him. Weavile was sent flying.

"Squirtle, juggle with Water Pulse!"

Squirtle shot a large sphere of water at Weavile, knocking him higher into the air. When he began to fall, Squirtle shot another Water Pulse to keep him airborn and repeated the process. Weavile finally managed to block a shot with Crush Claw and landed facing May and Squirtle. May noticed there was a strange look on Weavile's face, but Glacia didn't notice.

"Weavile, Extremespeed!"

Weavile braced itself, but instead of running at Squirtle, he ran to his left…right into the wall…and fainted.

Glacia coldly recalled Weavile and released her Mamoswine. May switched out Squirtle for Golduck.

"Golduck, Hydro Pump!"

"Mamoswine, Earthquake!"

Golduck fired an extra powerful Hydro Pump due to the storm, but Mamoswine caused a wall of earth to rise, blocking the blast. May and Golduck couldn't see Mamoswine anymore, but they heard a rumbling.

_'He's probably trying to dig underground,' _thought May. "Golduck, jump over the wall and prevent him from digging under!"

Golduck jumped only to find Mamoswine running up the inclined wall. He leapt and rammed his huge body into Golduck, who crashed into the ground but quickly rose to his feet.

_'That damn wall is troublesome,'_ thought May. "Golduck, use Crush Claw on the wall!"

Golduck raced towards the wall, which was behind Mamoswine, who had just landed.

"Mamoswine, take this opportunity to use Take Down!"

Mamoswine charged at Golduck, who used his speed to go around Mamoswine, taking advantage of his inability to make sharp turns. Golduck's webbed claws shone bright as they struck the wall sending debris everywhere. Meanwhile, Mamoswine had turned around and charged again.

"Golduck, when he gets close, jump on his back!"

Golduck braced himself to jump as Mamoswine got closer. Glacia grinned.

"Mamoswine, Extremespeed!"

May, Golduck, and the entire audience were shocked as Mamoswine slammed into Golduck at an incredible speed, not slowing down until it hit the wall, shattering it and frightening away the people closeby. Mamoswine backed out of the rubble, and Golduck stumbled through the dust before collapsing.

"Next time a six-hundred pound boar is charging your Pokémon," called Glacia, "tell it to move."

May recalled Golduck while praising his efforts. She then paused before choosing her next Pokémon.

"Go, Surskit!"

Once again, the audience was shocked as the Water/Bug Pokémon made his appearance. Only Ash and Glacia were impressed rather than surprised.

_'She thinks she can take down Mamoswine with that tiny thing? Interesting,'_ thought Glacia. "Mamoswine, Icy Wind!"

Mamoswine was about to launch the attack when Surskit vanished, and several afterimages began surrounding him.

"This is Surskit's speed with his Swift Swim in effect," called May, "Now let's see how fast he can _really_ go! Surskit, Agility!"

Surskit's afterimages tripled, and the speed now produced strong winds that formed a tornado resembling a Twister attack. Mamoswine was trapped and bombarded with the water, mud, and debris that the tornado picked up.

_'No!'_ thought Glacia, _'He won't survive long in there!'_

She attempted to recall Mamoswine, but he was trapped. Finally, a very loud _thud_ was heard, and Surskit stopped making the tornado. Mamoswine was on its side, defeated.

"Yes!" cried May in joy. Suddenly, Surskit began to glow, rendering everyone silent as it evolved into Masquerain. May was horrified and trembling with frustration.

"Damn it!!" she yelled, "Why did it have to be now!?"

Glacia smiled as May recalled the now Bug/Flying Pokémon. Up in the stadium, Ash frowned.

_'This is bad,'_ he thought, _'Surskit was her trump card in this weather, but now he's gone, and May's stubbornness won't allow her to use Masquerain.'_

He then focused again as the two trainers chose their next Pokémon.

"Go, Abomasnow!" shouted Glacia.

"Go, Squirtle!" cried May, "Rapid Spin!"

Glacia smiled as Squirtle quickly rolled toward Abomasnow. Then, Squirtle bounced against a piece of debris, sending her spinning helplessly in the air in front of Abomasnow.

"Abomasnow, Hammer Arm!"

Abomasnow hit Squirtle hard, sending her skidding across the ground until she crashed into another, larger piece of debris. She emerged from her shell, still able to battle. May gritted her teeth as she recalled Squirtle again and sent out her Froslass.

"Froslass, Ominous Wind!"

"Abomasnow, Icy Wind!"

The attacks collided with each other and created a tiny twister that threw both attacks at either Pokémon. Abomasnow stumbled back a few steps and Froslass wobbled in the air before they both regained their balance. Abomasnow immediately fired a Leaf Storm at Froslass, who slowed it down with a Shadow Ball so she could dodge. Abomasnow then charged at Froslass while dodging more Shadow Balls. Suddenly, he jumped high into the air and began falling toward Froslass. May knew dodging the huge body was impossible by now, so she did the only thing she could think of.

"Froslass, Destiny Bond!"

Froslass's eyes glowed black, and a black aura surrounded Abomasnow right before he landed. When the dust settled, both Pokémon were out cold. May was getting worried when the ref made an announcement.

"As requested by Glacia before the match, the field will now be changed as she has lost three Pokémon."

"What!?" May exclaimed, "She can do that?"

Both she and Glacia recalled their Pokémon just before the field began to sink below the ground. What rose back up was a pool of water with ice platforms in the center and at each of the four corners.

"Let the battle continue!" called the ref.

"Go, Glalie!" yelled Glacia.

"Go, Gorebyss!"

Glalie hovered over the center platform while Gorebyss dove underwater. Glalie's eyes darted back and forth, waiting for Gorebyss. Suddenly, Gorebyss emerged from behind Glalie and delivered a devastating Iron Tail that knocked Glalie into the water with Gorebyss quickly following after. Glalie quickly fired an underwater Ice Beam, but Gorebyss easily dodged and hit Glalie with a Headbutt followed by an Aqua Tail. Glalie decided an underwater battle was too difficult and rose to the surface. Just as Glalie emerged, Gorebyss jumped out in front of him and fired a point-blank super powered Hydro Pump. Glalie crashed into the wall and promptly fainted. Glacia's left eye twitched as she recalled him.

"Go, Walrein!"

"Gorebyss, return. Go, Squirtle!"

Both Pokémon were released into the water. Squirtle hit Walrein with a fast Bubblebeam, from which he quickly recovered. Walrein then charged with an underwater Thrash. In an attempt to dodge, Squirtle received a glancing blow that sent her spinning away. Right after she recovered, she moved quickly to avoid the remaining attacks. Walrein ceased his attack and reached under his flipper to eat an herb he was holding. He then fired an Ice Beam that Squirtle canceled with her own. Squirtle then charged at Walrein. Just before Walrein fired another Ice Beam, she dove down to the floor of the pool right beneath Walrein and pushed off it with all her might, sending her Headbutt attack into Walrein's stomach and sending him flying out of the pool and onto the center platform. Squirtle then jumped out of the pool and into the air.

"Squirtle, Rapid Spin and Iron Tail!"

Squirtle withdrew into her shell except for her tail, which shined white. She started spinning, making her look like a buzzsaw. She fell toward Walrein just as he recovered from his fall and looked up.

_BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!_

After receiving ten consecutive blows to the head, Walrein collapsed.

"One more…" whispered May to herself, her teeth chattering. It didn't help that she was battling Pokémon that used Ice-type moves.

Glacia smiled menacingly as she tossed her last Pokéball, which released something massive onto the center platform. Squirtle quickly jumped back into the pool and watched as Regice appeared.

Glacia still smiled as she said, "Now, this pool is only an annoyance. I'll get rid of it now." May gasped.

"Squirtle, get out, now!"

Squitle jumped out into the air just before Regice released a 360 degree Icy Wind that froze the entire field. When Squirtle landed, Regice took no time in firing an Ice Beam, which she dodged.

"Squirtle, Iron Defence, then Rapid Spin into Headbutt!" called May.

Squirtle's shell gained metallic edges and she withdrew inside. She then rolled in circles around Regice, getting closer with each lap, while it tried to hit her with Ice Beams. As soon as she got close enough, she popped out of her shell and rammed her head into its front, but Regice only slid back a foot and once more attempted to hit her with Ice Beams.

"Rapid Spin and Iron Tail again!"

Squirtle jumped at Regice, but that was her undoing, as Regice hit her in midair with a Superpower blast that sent her crashing against the ice, defeated. May gave her high praise as she recalled Squirtle to her ball.

"Go, Gorebyss!"

Gorebyss appeared on the field and began rapidly sliding around Regice.

"Just like Surskit, Gorebyss moves twice as fast in the rain," said May, "Gorebyss, Iron Tail!"

Gorebyss raced around Regice to keep it confused, every now and then striking it.

"Now, Gorebyss, use Hydro Pump!" Glacia smirked.

"Zap Cannon!"

As Gorebyss stopped and fired her attack, Regice raised its right arm and fired a huge blast of electricity that easily overpowered the Hydro Pump and collided with Gorebyss, who collapsed from the overwhelming attack. May gulped as she recalled Gorebyss and prepared her final Pokémon.

"Go, Glaceon!"

Glaceon appeared in front of Regice a few feet away. Regice looked battered from the numerous Iron Tails it had taken.

"Just a bit more to go, Glaceon. Iron Tail!" Glaceon ran in a curve toward Regice and jumped to deliver the attack, but Regice blasted her with Zap Cannon, and then again with Superpower as she hit the ground. Glaceon flew across the field and landed near May, where she struggled to get up.

"Never mind that, we'll have to battle long range instead," said May, "Ice Beam!"

Glaceon shot her attack, but Regice shot one, too; a much more powerful one that Glaceon was barely able to dodge. A few more tries ended the same. May sighed.

"Glaceon, it looks like our last option is that new move we invented," said May, "but whatever happens, you can't let him hit you."

Glaceon nodded and May took a deep breath.

"Frost Tackle!"

Glaceon ran forward, enveloping herself with an icy barrier. Up in the stands, Ash recognized it as a Blizzard fired while using Agility to move faster than the wind being produced, with a Pokémon that looked like a comet as the result. But he recognized why she called it Frost Tackle; it looked very much like Pikachu's Volt Tackle. Glaceon quickly approached Regice as it fired Superpower blasts that she had to zigzag through. Just as Glaceon got close Regice only managed to fire an Ice Beam because it was a quicker attack, but it was absorbed by the Blizzard barrier just before Glaceon plowed into Regice, pushing it back several feet. Regice stumbled for several seconds before toppling over.

"Regice is unable to battle! May and Glaceon are the winners!"

The crowd roared, drowning out the sound of the storm. May and Glaceon walked to the middle of the field to meet Glacia.

"That was an _excellent_ battle," praised Glacia.

"Thanks, we gave it everything we had," said May, beaming as Glaceon jumped into her arms.

"I bet you'll give even wonder-boy a run for his money," Glacia continued, "but enough talk, you get inside and dry up before you catch pneumonia."

"Thank you so much!" yelled May as she bowed to emphasize her gratitude before returning Glaceon to her ball and running to her exit. When she burst through the doors, she found Ash waiting and holding out a blanket. She grabbed it and quickly draped it around herself. Ash then led her to a bench where he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Neither of them talked. They just sat there, attempting to restore warmth to May's frigid body.

When May was finally warm enough to think straight, she broke the silence.

"Where are Max and Pikachu?"

"I sent them to find this concession stand I saw that had hot chocolate." May scowled.

"Your girlfriend is freezing and you still think with your stomach."

"It's for you, dummy." May smiled.

"I know. I was just teasing you."

They fell into another silence before May broke it again.

"They're taking a long time," she said impatiently.

"That's because none of the concession stands sell hot chocolate."

Confused, May looked up at him to find him grinning mischievously at her. She caught on immediately but continued to act confused and then disappointed. She pouted as she said, "You mean I'm not getting hot chocolate?" Ash's grin widened.

"I'll get you some hot chocolate later, but for now you have to settle for me," he said softly as he raised her chin and leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

**I will work on updating when I get a review.**

**Flamers will have curses placed upon them that forbid them from thinking negative thoughts, turning them into mindless optimists. Bwahaha...**


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